In no particular order (and eschewing books that we should maybe like but probably won’t – like Chuck Palahniuk’s Tell All – and books that don’t even warrant so much as our derision – such as the first in what we are promised is to be a series of crime novels by Howard Marks), here are 50 books we would like to get our grubby mitts on as soon as we are able (or – ahem – as soon as publishers get round to sending us proofs and/or finished copies):
1. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall – Almost a decade after his tremendous debut novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, Udall is back with a tale that promises ‘a tragicomic story of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work, religion and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family’s future. Like John Irving and Richard Yates, Udall’s characters engage us to the fullest as they grapple with the nature of need, love and belonging.’ Indeed…
2. The Stars in the Bright Sky by Alan Warner – Described by Warner (in an excellent interview over at Welcome to the Velvet as ‘a sort of sequel to The Sopranos‘).
3. Even the Dogs by Jon MacGregor – McGregor’s third novel concerns a dead man’s last journey and features ‘stories of lives fallen through the cracks, hopes flaring and dying, love overwhelmed by a stronger need, and the havoc wrought by drugs, distress and the disregard of the wider world…’
4. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman – The latest outing in Canongate’s Myths series could well be the most controversial yet: ‘Part novel, part history, part fairytale, The Good Man Jesus offers a radical new take on the myths and the mysteries of the Gospels, and the genesis of church that has so shaped the course of the last two millennia.’
5. Naming the Bones by Louise Welsh – Welsh’s fourth book centres on Murray Watson, a man who lives a quiet life in university libraries researching the lives of writers, plunged knee-deep in the mud of an ancient burial ground, a winter storm raging around him, and at least one person intent on his death…
6. Known to Evil by Walter Mosley – Apparently the second outing from Mosley’s Leonard McGill character (the first having completely passed us by, sorry Walter), Known to Evil concerns the police, the mafia, assassins and ‘a sex trafficked Belarussian girl…’ What more could a Mosley fan ask for?
7. Monster 1959 by David Maine – Already available in the US, David Maine’s fourth book is his first to step outside of the Bible. Located on a South Pacific island, the novel concerns K, a forty foot high beastie with ‘claws and fangs and butterfly wings…’
8. Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon – Another reflective slice of non-fiction from Kavalier & Clay genius, Chabon, this time centring on ‘The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son…’
9. It Feels So Good When I Stop by Joe Pernice – Another novel already available in the US but hopefully coming our way in 2010, It Feels So Good When I Stop is the debut novel from the Pernice Brothers frontman that features an unnamed wannabe musician fleeing the wreckage of his one day old marriage to shore up in his sister’s place in Cape Cod…
10. Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem – Relatively hard on the heels of the prosaic (for Lethem) You Don’t Love Me Yet, comes Chronic City, a tale of low-orbit mines on the International Space Station, rapturous and heartbreaking love letters, high-grade marijuana, mammoth cheeseburgers and a desperate ache for meaning.’ Chronic City is currently top of my ‘Books I Plan to Read Just As Soon As I’m Sent ‘Em’ list…
Tomorrow: Jonathan Franzen! Don DeLillo! Philip Roth! TC Boyle! David Mitchell! And More!
Bookmunch 
Great list of books–and you’ll be very happy to know that The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall is absolutely as good as we’ve been hoping for all of these years. Udall explodes the nuclear family, illuminating multiple families existing simultaneously with tensions, jealousy, and simply the impossible demands of time and emotional access, not to mention dates, attention sex. But don’t confuse this novel with TV’s Big Love! The great twist (and pun) of the novel is the intrusion of the nuclear age–a father’s uranium riches, test bombs, and ultimately–another great pun–the fallout. And Udall’s writing and his humanity make every page a wonder.
You sound like a man with access to proofs… I think I need to see one to verify what you’re saying…
Jon Macgregor!! Yay.
Hi,
I have been curious about “even the dogs” for a while, it sounds good according to what you said, this is a good site to learn about good books to check out, I´ll bookmark it and tell my sisters about it,
good info, thanks.